“You Don’t See Many Black Women on the Wall”: Detroit Artist Sabrina Nelson Uses Public Art to Educate
Tucked away in an alley in Eastern Market, Nelson created an homage to a trio of activists with strong Detroit connections.
Click the audio player to hear the full conversation. CultureShift airs weekdays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit public radio.
Artist Sabrina Nelson has been a creative force in Detroit for over three decades.
When she was invited to participate in the annual public art festival Murals in the Market in Eastern Market in 2018, she knew she wanted to use the opportunity to highlight the role of African-American women in Detroit’s creative community.
“The majority of muralists than I knew were men,” says Nelson. “You don’t see many black women on the wall.”
In addition to being a professional artist, Nelson works as a studio art teacher at the Detroit Institute of Arts and as an admissions counselor at the College for Creative Studies.
She used her wall space off Russell Street to paint a trio of women — activist Grace Lee Boggs, poet and performer jessica Care moore and community advocate Charity Hicks.
“I wanted to say something about the women who did a lot of work here, that left marks here,” says Nelson.
Click the audio player above to hear the full conversation with Detroit artist Sabrina Nelson.
